Case Number 23780: Small Claims Court

THE UNIVERSE: THE COMPLETE SEASON SIX (BLU-RAY)

The Charge

Just like The Big Bang Theory, only without the jokes.

The Case

Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the...Wait, wrong space
series. My bad.

What I meant to talk about is the The Universe, History Channel's
series on everything going on within our cosmos...and beyond. In Season Six, the
filmmakers explore vast theories, dangerous cosmic calamities, and the
possibility we are not alone in the universe. From rouge comets to the
complexities of time and space (and the ideas behind there being a single
Creator of everything), these intrepid scientists and galactic experts try to
explain things in a way that makes sense to viewers who aren't Stephen Hawking
-- or as we're known in scientific circles, "Little Brains."

The Universe: The Complete Season Six gives us 13 episodes on three
discs...

The Universe is a gentle reminder that a) our galaxy is as vast as it
is fascinating, and b) we are all just biding time before planet earth gets
Michael Bay'ed by the universe. If I took nothing else away from this
experience, it's that the universe is a ticking time bomb ready to take down our
planet at any given moment. Nowhere is this clearer than in the episode "Worst
Days on Planet Earth" which explores all of the genuinely horrible things that
happened to the earth before we humans took over. It's theorized that large
objects (some the size of Mars) ran into Earth and, much like Joan Rivers, it
got a permanent facelift (the "Theia Impact," as it's known). Other events, like
a giant bombardment of asteroids, would have been global killers if there had
been life around to wipe out. Another cataclysmic event (the "Snowball Earth"
hypothesis) threw the planet into a deep freeze (-75 degrees Fahrenheit) 2.4
billion years ago. No bonus points for guessing how that one turned out.

As you can see, even though the universe is a beautiful and awe-inspiring
wonder, it's also God's stealthy hit man, ready to snub out humans without
hesitation. If you find ideas like this fascinating, The Universe may be
right up your alley. Of course, the show focuses on a lot more than just ways
our planet will check out. Other episodes delve into the possibility of the
sun's evil twin (which throws comets into our orbit every 26 million years or
so) and what it's like to speak on the planet Mars (apparently, it sounds like
everything is running in slow motion). The show covers a wide range of topics,
but the truth is the universe is a pretty deadly and destructive place, so many
of the episodes focus on our or other planets/stars/galaxies' impending
doom.

I admit to finding this stuff interesting. As a kid, I was fascinated by the
possibilities of the universe, no doubt propelled by seeing such movies as
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and Star Trek: The Motion
Picture. I've never had the academic fortitude to be a scientist or
physicist (heck, I had a hard enough time just spelling those words), so this
show is the closest I'm going to come to being a brainiac. I enjoy the way the
producers present some of the more confounding aspects and theories to laymen
like myself. For instance, to wrap my head around the idea that our galaxy might
be just one of thousands or millions (or infinite) galaxies, they use a mug of
beer and bubbles inside the glass as an analogy. Moments like this make it
easier to digest complex information.

The Universe is slickly produced and clips along rather quickly,
although there are some flaws in its design. There are moments when certain
episodes slow to a crawl, mostly because you can't just show outer space over
and over again with nothing of consequence happening and expect the viewer to
feel riveted. While there are plenty of episodes with exciting meteor crash
sequences or planets running into each other, others feel slightly inert
(especially when the episode "Alien Sounds" rolls around). The visual FX are
commendable and often realistic...well, as realistic as you can get with a cable
show about space. There are times where it feels like the producers are
stretching it a bit, covering ground already traversed in previous seasons.

Presented in 1.78:1/1080i high definition widescreen, History Channel has
put a good amount of work into making sure the transfers for each episode look
exceptionally clean and bright. Although the interview segments are a bit less
dazzling, the imagery of outer space with its collection of suns, moons, stars,
and deep blackness all sparkle wonderfully on Blu-ray. The DTS-HD 2.0 Master
Audio is a bit surprising, considering a show of this caliber could have
benefited from a full 5.1 mix (seriously...who films planets and comets
whooshing all around and then makes it a front heavy mix?). English subtitles
are included for those who are hard of hearing.

The universe may be vast and limitless, but that's not the case with this
set. There are no bonus features.

The Universe: The Complete Season Six is an informative,
family-friendly program for those who want a crash course on what's going out
outside earth's atmosphere. Although a bit slow in spots, it does far more good
than harm when it comes to educational, thought-provoking television. Did you
know that Saturn's beautiful outer rings are actually pieces of ice? See, the
show is already making you smarter by the minute.